Of the numerous first-party PlayStation franchises, few are arguably as successful or beloved as Naughty Dog's Uncharted; first arriving on the PlayStation 3 in 2007, with its most recent outing being Uncharted: The Lost Legacy on PlayStation 4 in 2017. Despite switching the main protagonist from Nathan Drake to Chloe Frazer, Lost Legacy still had all the epic action and grand-scale adventure that players had come to expect.
Aside from compelling character moments and quippy one liners, the Uncharted series is also recognized for its over-the-top set pieces. Sequences like hanging out the back of a plane in Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception are handled with such flair that it rivals any blockbuster film. When asked to pick a standout set piece from the series, many may immediately refer to the aforementioned plane, or even the train sequence from Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. However, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy makes some of the best use of what worked in previous sequences to create one all its own, and quite possibly the best set piece to date.
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
What makes each set piece in the Uncharted series so memorable is how different they all are from one another in terms of location, concept, and objective. The train sequence from Uncharted 2 has players control Nate as he moves across a lengthy train, all while avoiding obstacles and having to contend with oncoming enemies. In theory this harkens back to the simplest objectives of video games such as Asteroids - the player is dodging obstacles, avoiding incoming enemy fire, and fighting back. However, in this case, Uncharted oozes with modern production value.
This train sequence is often praised for its creative level design in how the player must actively get around the train while it's moving. It keeps a frantic pace to the action, ensuring a hefty level of challenge since gamers must be aware of their surroundings. The scene was considered the pinnacle for the series, even when compared to the boat and plane scenes in Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception.
Then Uncharted 4: A Thief's End hit shelves in 2016, and immediately wowed players thanks to the new PlayStation 4 hardware. A stand-out action scene was the convoy chase that begins with players driving a car down a Favela. This seamlessly leads into Nate being caught in the middle of an enemy convoy, leaping from vehicle-to-vehicle in an all-out display.
Lost Legacy Has the Best of Both Worlds
With these two outstanding scenes already in the bag, it was unclear what else was left for Naughty Dog to do in Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. After all, with boats, planes and trains already checked off the list, the studio was running out of vehicles for protagonists to inadvertently destroy. Then, in a clever move, Naughty Dog chose not to create something entirely new; but rather combine the best of what had come before.
The finale of Uncharted: The Lost Legacy should be visually familiar to anyone who has played prior installments in the series. The sequence tasks the player with following a moving train, all while contending with an enemy convoy attacking from all sides. The clever combination of two memorable Uncharted set piece, brings what made those moments work together, but also elevates it into something even more special. The task of having to be aware of one's surroundings in Uncharted 2's train scene balances perfectly with the constant forward momentum of Uncharted 4's convoy chase, resulting in possibly the best set piece of them all.
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy is available now on PS4.